The field of the invention relates generally to data collection and more specifically to the use of fiber optics for collecting data to support Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM).
IVHM is the collection and processing of data to determine (diagnosis) and predict (prognosis) an operational status (i.e., health) of a vehicle system or subsystem, and enable the mitigation of adverse events during operation. Hardware faults and failures are typically difficult to detect, diagnose and mitigate with existing technologies during operation. However, the time needed to address the faults and failures impacts mission availability. Additionally, computer software related risks represent equally serious threats due to increased system complexity and a higher reliance upon automation.
Some known IVHM systems may be used on-board aircraft to support flight critical processes and decisions, and include hardware and software elements that support the maintenance and logistics processes and decisions, but that do not substantially impact mission or flight critical processes or decisions. Some known IVHM solutions include passively monitoring avionics data bus traffic or capturing and processing subsystems data within flight critical processors at the subsystem or core processor level. Known data acquisition and collection methods do not support more advanced IVHM functions, particularly health prediction or prognostics. Avionics data buses handle the data necessary to control the vehicle and generally do not support access to higher fidelity data within subsystems controllers, nor do such data buses support implementation of higher bandwidth ‘IVHM sensors’ that monitor vibration, current or structural harmonics. The development and validation costs associated with embedding such support critical IVHM processing within flight critical processors is may be prohibitive.